Celtic midfielder Kris Commons unfazed by Fenerbahce test
Wednesday 30 September 2015 20:42, UK
Kris Commons has described Robin van Persie and Nani as world class but the Celtic midfielder will fear nobody when they play Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday.
Commons faced former Manchester United winger Nani when he was a Derby player and went up against Netherlands striker Van Persie on international duty with Scotland six years ago.
Those encounters have given Commons an idea of what he can expect at Celtic Park but he remains unfazed.
"They have been at the top of their game for a long, long period of time and proved they are world-class players so I regard them very highly," said Commons.
"We've seen footage of them in the last couple of days and they've still got the business.
"We're going to come up against a very strong team but I wouldn't say we're scared of any individual.
"Our game plan is to eliminate their best players but there's nothing to worry about.
"It will be very difficult. I regard this group as a Champions League group.
"It's full of top quality European players. When they put their starting eleven out you will see some household names but if we put our mind to it we'll give them a good game."
Meanwhile, Hoops boss Ronny Deila will ignore speculation about a rift between Van Persie and Fenerbahce coach Vitor Pereira.
Van Persie has not always been a first choice for the Istanbul club but the Dutchman has come off the bench to score in their last two games, a 2-1 home win over Bursaspor and a 3-2 away defeat by Besiktas.
"There are a lot of rumours in football," Deila said of the alleged fall out between Van Persie and his boss.
"We have to focus on what we are going to do to cause Fenerbahce problems and they have to deal with what they have to deal with.
"What we know about Fenerbahce is that when they are playing at their best they are a very good team and Van Persie is a fantastic player and goal scorer as well.
"He has been in and out of the team lately but he has scored when he has come on and everybody knows he is quality, a top striker.
"We have seen their four latest games and they lost the last game against Besiktas.
"We know they have a lot of quality players and they are a good team when they are playing at their best but we also see weaknesses that we can exploit."
